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East India Trading Company
The East India Trading Company, otherwise referred to as the East India Company or abbreviated as EITC, was a British joint-stock company and megacorporation formed for pursuing and monopolizing trade with the Indian subcontinent and East Indies, and later expanded to China and the Caribbean. The East India Company traded mainly in cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, saltpetre, tea and opium. The Company was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600. Shares of the Company were owned by wealthy merchants and aristocrats. The government owned no shares and had only indirect control. The Company eventually came to rule large areas of India with its own private armies (including Indian sepoys and British soldiers), exercising military power and assuming administrative functions. History Foundation The English East India Trading Company was established by British explorers who discovered the exotic riches of the East Indies, particularly India, during their initial voyages to the region. With trading voyages sponsored by English merchants hoping to profit from gold, silver, ivory, silk and spices, the company grew in size and power. It began to expand into the Caribbean when the attention of the company's leaders turned to the area's rich plantations. This expansion was led by it's Governor/Chairman Lord Cutler Beckett. The company ultimately expanded so much that any threat posed to it was a threat to Great Britain itself.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, p48-49: "East India Trading Co." Piracy was one of the biggest problems for the Company. In the late 1720s, several EITC ships was sent to join Admiral Lawrence Norrington's Royal Navy fleet and participate in his hunt for Edward Teague, Keeper of the Code and one of the most notorious pirates on the Seven Seas. Though Norrington managed to capture Teague for a brief time, his mission miserably failed.Jack Sparrow: Sins of the Father The company was based in London, led by a single Governor and a Court of Directors. Through one of its employees, Cutler Beckett, it was known to have condoned the transport of slaves from Africa to the Caribbean. However, Jack Sparrow, captain of the Wicked Wench, refused to carry out this sinful task, and Beckett had his ship torched and Sparrow himself branded a pirate.Pirate 101: "Figure Head" The Shadow Lord Around the beginning of the Quest for the Shadow Gold, Benedict Huntington, the Company's manager for Hong Kong, attempted to eradicate piracy in the East Indies, attacking the hideouts of Chinese pirates led by Mistress Ching and Sao Feng. When he failed, he used the havoc created on the Seven Seas by the Shadow Lord, to attack all Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court. In his quest, he followed Jack Sparrow, the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean, from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Though he had some success, in the end, Huntington's quest was a failure. At some point before the Attack on Port Royal,The trailer for the video game Pirates of the Caribbean: Isles of War sets the EITC invasion of the Bahamas in 1740, "before the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl". However, that date contradicts the rest of the timeline which sets the main events of The Curse of the Black Pearl in 1728. the Company sent a fleet of ships to the Bahamas to participate in one of the many conflicts in that area.Pirates of the Caribbean: Isles of War In the Caribbean Meanwhile, Cutler Beckett remained a loyal member of the company, attaining the title of Lord and rising to the position of Governor.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p44-45: "Lord Beckett" He relocated to Port Royal, with great ambitions for the company's future. He intended not only to eradicate piracy on the Seven Seas, but also to monopolize them completely by assuming control of Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman. He wielded more executive power than Governor Weatherby Swann, forcing him to cooperate by sending favorable reports of Beckett's actions back to England.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest During this time, the British government was careful to protect the Company's ships, and supplied marines and vessels of the British Royal Navy as guards and escorts in case of pirate attacks. The company also tightened its control over maritime commerce in the Caribbean by imposing heavy fees and tariffs on other merchants and businessmen. This made it increasingly difficult to conduct business for those not affiliated with the company.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest This stranglehold on Caribbean shipping drove honest sailors and merchant captains like Captain Bellamy to make port in lawless places like Tortuga, beyond the company's reach.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Crusade Against Piracy at the EITC docks in Port Royal]] Around this time, it was revealed that the Company was doing much more than that. It made deals with other forces in the Caribbean, such as the infamous Jolly Roger. The alliance was to eradicate piracy. As the Company prepared for attack, many of the settled islands of the Caribbean (Port Royal, Tortuga, Padres Del Fuego) were mysteriously destroyed by explosions. The Port Royal explosion was a result of a careless planting of gunpowder (same for Padres del Fuego, as well), while the Tortuga explosions were an open war against Piracy. The Battle of Padres occurred, and the EITC implemented their force with Jolly Roger's magic, and allowed him to begin his Invasions against the three islands. The alliance ultimately broke with the discovery of Spanish Conquistador El Patron's lost weapons, after the Battle of Raven's Cove. Pirates of the Caribbean Online Led by Cutler Beckett, the Company began a concerted effort to take control of the seas by capturing the Heart of Davy Jones and using it command Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman. The Company was able to leverage the rogue actions of Will Turner to force him to help the Company find Jack Sparrow's compass and through it, the Heart of Davy Jones. Subsequent events resulted in the Company gaining control of Port Royal Governor Weatherby Swann, giving them an even great control of the Caribbean.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest After James Norrington brought Beckett the Heart of Davy Jones, the Company gained control of the Flying Dutchman. Now with the most powerful ship in the Caribbean under their control, the Company launched the War Against Piracy. With the Flying Dutchman backed up by an armada of three hundred ships, the Company destroyed many pirate vessels and became the greatest power in the Caribbean. The Company, having forced Governor Swann of Port Royal into service, were able to perform mass hangings on pirates and suspected pirates without challenge. Fall of the Company's Power The threat of the Company caused the pirates to call the Fourth Brethern Court. Led by Pirate King Elizabeth Swann, the Brethren fleet faced off with the Company armada. In the titanic battle that followed, the Black Pearl defeated the Flying Dutchman in combat and the Flying Dutchman came under the control of Will Turner. With the Flying Dutchman under Will's control, it turned on the Company armada and attacked the armada's flagship, the [[HMS Endeavour|HMS Endeavour]], alongside the Black Pearl. The two pirate ships destroyed the Endeavour, killing Cutler Beckett and most of his crew, causing his armada to retreat having lost their leader.Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End In spite of the previous events, the Company still thrived and operated across the East Indies over the following years, although the Company's power over the Caribbean was no more. By 1750, some EITC members who survived the War Against Piracy, like Theodore Groves, were recruited by His Majesty King George II of Great Britain to search along the privateer Hector Barbossa the fabled Fountain of Youth.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Symbols and trademarks The East India Trading Company utilized a well-known trademark which it stamped, stenciled and painted on all cargo loaded aboard transports. The design featured the Company's initials separated by triple crosses, making the overall design resemble an anchor, and also featured on the flags of the Company's merchant and warships. It served as both a guarantee of quality and to ward off thieves and pirates. Objects bearing this logo reached as far afield as the cannibal island of Pelegosto. The Company also maintained a coat of arms: a gold-on-maroon design featuring waving English pennants and sea lions supporting a shield of ships and roses. The Company's Latin motto was displayed beneath. This symbolized the Company's scope and grand goals. EITC trademark in blank.jpg|EITC trademark in blank Known employees Known ships '' leading Beckett's armada.]] Behind the scenes *In real-world history, the organization was mainly known as simply the "East India Company", whose motto was "Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae the Command of the King and Parliament of England". Also, the Company seems to have far greater power in the POTC world than it had in real-world history. One example of that is the Company's expansion in the Caribbean, which never happened likewise the War Against Piracy. Appearances *''Jack Sparrow: Silver'' *''Jack Sparrow: Sins of the Father'' *''The Price of Freedom'' *''Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean'' *''Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East'' *''Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide'' *''Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters'' *''Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: Isles of War'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' **''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (comic) *''The Star of the Sea'' *''The Compass of Destiny!'' *''Tears of the Goddess'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean Online'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' **''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' (video game) *''Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War'' Non-canon appearances *''A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas'' *''LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game'' *''Kingdom Hearts III'' Sources *''Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)'' *''The Price of Freedom'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide'' External links * See also *East India Trading Company flags *East India Trading Company Armada *EITC Treasure Fleets Notes and references de:East India Trading Company fr:Compagnie des Indes Orientales it:Compagnia Britannica delle Indie Orientali ru:Британская Ост-Индская компания Category:East India Trading Company Category:British Empire Category:Organizations